Teens learn about dangers of texting while driving

Logan Evans, 14, wears the simulator headset as he texts and drives. Students at Stanton College Preparatory School were able to "drive" the AT&T texting-while-driving simulator in the school's auditorium on Friday in Jacksonville. The computerized simulator is part of the AT&T program "Txtng & Driving...It Can Wait."

Students at Stanton College Preparatory School were able to "drive" the AT&T texting-while-driving simulator in the school's auditorium on Friday in Jacksonville. The computerized simulator is part of the AT&T program "Txtng & Driving...It Can Wait."

Cheyanne Robinson was driving along under the speed limit, minding her own business. Nothing was amiss. Until her car struck someone.

“I was going fine,” the Jacksonville teen said. “This pedestrian walked into the street, came from nowhere.”

She did not see the person because her eyes, for a split second, were not on the road.

She was texting.

But no harm done, this time. Robinson was in a simulator, a computerized car with a virtual reality headset, that shows the potential traffic infractions, crashes, death and destruction of texting while driving.

In real life, the Stanton College Preparatory School senior said she rarely texts while driving. But she said her experience in the simulator will make her think twice about it in the future.

Teen communications

Texting is the leading mode of communication among teens, who text an average 60 times a day.

Drivers who text are 23 more times likely to be in an accident or near-accident than a driver who is not texting. And a nationwide survey commissioned by AT&T found that while 97 percent of teens know texting while driving is dangerous, 43 percent of them admit to doing so and 75 percent said it is common among their friends.

The survey was part of AT&T’s “Txtng & Driving … It Can Wait” campaign, which began in 2009 to educate drivers, particularly teens, about the dangers of texting while driving. This year the campaign took the simulator on a 30-city tour, along with a gripping 10-minute video that featured teenagers, parents and police from across the country describing the devastation that can result from texting while driving.

In the video, a young girl described the death of her sister who lost control of her car and was killed while the two were texting.

“She was talking to me when she was killed. That will never go away,” the girl said. “‘Yeah.’ Four little words. That’s what killed her.”

The tour concluded at Stanton a few weeks before Memorial Day, which kicks off what AAA Auto Club Group calls the 100 deadliest days for teens to be on the road. The freedom of summer break can bring all sorts of distractions, and “texting doesn’t help,” said Gretchen Schultz, AT&T director of communications for Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The goal of the simulator and the video, called “The Last Text,” is to leave a lasting impression on students, Schultz said. At Stanton students were asked to sign a pledge to not text while driving and to urge their friends and parents to ban the practice as well.

“No text is worth it,” she said. “We want it to be an eye-opening experience.”

Texting dangers

AT&T’s initiative is just one of a multitude of ongoing campaigns about the dangers of texting while driving. Other campaigns have been sponsored by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Oprah Winfrey, AAA, the Ad Council and Cellular One, among others. Also, AT&T and other companies have developed apps and other devices to prevent texting while driving.

Thirty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have banned mobile-phone use in vehicles. LaHood, who has been a strong supporter of state bans, and the National Transportation Safety Board have proposed federal bans on phone use in vehicles.

A ban has been considered by the Florida Legislature for four consecutive years but failed each time, said John Pecchio, traffic safety manager at AAA Auto Club Group’s regional office in Tampa. AAA staff and lobbyists will continue to lead the charge — both with lawmakers and with a grassroots effort — until they are successful.

“We will keep getting out in the community, trying to get the message out there,” Pecchio said. “The leading distraction while driving is cell phones, texting … The leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds is car crashes.

“That’s pretty powerful,” he said.

State Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, who dropped by Stanton during the AT&T visit, said she has had mixed feelings about a ban on texting while driving.

She said she initially opposed the idea because she “couldn’t figure out how” it could be enforced. She wondered, among other things, how police would be able to determine before making a stop that a driver was texting or making a call.

Gibson now supports the concept, if enforceable legislation can be crafted. She said she plans to investigate how other states have dealt with the issue.

“But we need more than a law. We need to make sure all the kids and all the adults are aware … Make people think about it before they get in the car,” she said. “One of the penalties is death.”

Education a priority

Stanton freshmen had first priority to hear the AT&T presentation because most of them are not yet driving. Educating them before they get into the bad habit of texting while driving is critical, Schultz said.

At 14, freshman Logan Evans does not have a driver’s license but does have a cell phone.

When he starts driving, the gripping words he heard in “The Last Text” likely will ring in his ears.

In the video, a young man who was texting while driving looked away from the road for a second and fatally struck a cyclist.

“I sent one stupid, meaningless text, ‘LOL,’ and killed a man,” he said.

The video and simulator left Logan with a lot to think about as he approaches driving age, he said.

“Not too good,” he said, of his stint in the simulator. While texting, he had run off the road three times.

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